Confirmed: Apple Watch will be in short supply, pre-orders online only

When Apple Watch pre-orders go live on April 10 at midnight, don’t bother heading to the nearest Apple Store. The company announced on Thursday that it will be taking orders exclusively online at launch due to what it expects will be overwhelming demand for the new smartwatch.

Apple’s head of retail, Angela Ahrendts, confirmed the news on Thursday, noting that initial stock will be limited. Of course, you can still try on the Apple Watch in-person ahead of time, but you may not want to wait too long before confirming your pre-order.

“Based on the tremendous interest from people visiting our stores, as well as the number of customers who have gone to the Apple Online Store to mark their favorite Apple Watch ahead of availability, we expect that strong customer demand will exceed our supply at launch,” Ahrendts said.

Apple still hasn’t revealed shipping times for the device, though one recent report suggests it could be a while before some models arrive. In Germany, it could take 4-6 weeks for the Apple Watch with a leather loop or link bracelet, while the Apple Watch Sport might not arrive until May 8.

Hopefully that’s not the case in most markets, though we won’t know for sure until pre-orders go live at midnight.